There are many applications where it is necessary to insert a sheath or catheter into a body cavity or vessel. One means of facilitating the insertion of a sheath is to use a dilator fitted with a sheath that moves into the cavity or vessel and is then withdrawn leaving the sheath in place.
The placement of prosthetic devices, such as stents and grafts, intraluminally and the conduct of minimally invasive operative procedures has grown dramatically in recent years. Where, for example, an intraluminal graft is adapted for insertion into a patient to achieve bridging and occlusion of an aortic aneurysm, a sheath of sufficient diameter and adapted to assist with the delivery of the prosthetic device needs to be inserted into and through the femoral and associated iliac artery.
In many persons, the femoral artery, in passing over the pelvis, takes a quite tortuous path that can impede the passage of a catheter of sufficient width and stiffness and in turn also impede the travel of a graft through the catheter.
The present invention is directed to a device that alleviates the problem posed by such tortuous vessels.